Captain’s Log Con Nooga 2024

All packed up and waiting for my ride home.

As usual, I spent more than I made, and that was just on food. Plus, I have 3 new necklaces and a new tiara.

Though I thought I was only on 1 panel, I ended up being on 2. Fairytales and Fantasy, and How to Sell Your Book.

I only had a space on Author’s Alley on Sunday, filling the spot left by Patricia Gilliam. (She had to head out Saturday night.) Still, it was a successful convention for me. I sold 4 books, and for the first time, they were all The Adventures of Pigg & Woolfe titles!

I also gave 1 copy of Pathway to Downfall to “Con Mommy” as I dedicated the book to her. I thought she was going to cry. She said she’d always wanted someone to dedicate a book to her, and I made her year. We’ve been convention friends for years now, and she’s a loyal reader and a genuinely nice person.

I forgot to tell her our vendor tables at HallowCon this October will be next to each other.

I failed to collect business cards in the dealer room this year, but I can get the info I need from the program app. I’m way behind, like a few conventions, on updating the Smugglers Cove and Hucksters Haven pages. I’m also behind on putting up convention albums on FB.

I learned a few new things for getting my books out there that I may try, time permitting.

Also, the Thing to Buy/Sell this year seems to be lightsabers. There were at least 3 vendors for that item alone. (Star Wars is the predominant preference in Chattanooga, but some Trek was represented.)

Jerry Harwood, director of the Writers Track

Captain’s Log: Chattacon 49

My table set up this year.

What have I learned this year? Tea blends are a BIG seller. I do not carry tea blends. One of the neighboe booths did.

I sold one copy of Blood Curse: Waves of Darkness Book 1. My only sale the whole weekend, but that made this a successful convention in my mind. Thank you for the pity purchase, Rich. I’ll take any sales I can get! I did get some interested browsers, and author cards were taken. Hopefully some audiobook and ebook sales will come out of this weekend.

I had one panel on Saturday; Homegrown: Writing from Our Roots, along with Louis Herring-Jones, Phillip K. Booker, Mel Todd, and moderated by William Joseph “Hillbilly” Roberts. It was fun to learn I wasn’t the only one who participated in bottle rocket battles in the woods as a kid. The panel was about how we use our experiences, aspects of places we grew up, and people we know or knew in our writing.

Late Saturday night featured the “Chattacon Choir,” a very hammy group-sing of Bohemian Rhapsody and Paradise by the Dashboard Lights. Both singers and audience participated in the performance while in varying states of sobriety or the lack thereof, over emoting, heckling, and pantomiming lyrics.

Think if MST3K did this live with a large group.

I finally got to hear how this tradition got started many moons ago when the convention was still held at the Chattanooga Choo Choo. The first time was a spontaneous event which spread throughout almost the entire convention. Now it is contained, for the most part, to the consuite.

I did get to talk with my second cousin, Mary Robinette Kowal (this year’s Literary Guest of Honor), before the convention ended Sunday. Took having to say which side of the family I’m from before she could finally place me. As I pointed out previously, we haven’t seen each other since we we little kids, several decades ago. We had a nice, if short visit. Both of us were getting ready to leave.

I plan on doing a table again next year, though I still have to pre-register for it.

I got some progress made with various projects while manning my table. I made a good start on writing episode 45 of The Adventures of Pigg & Woolfe. I also finished my first round of edits/revisions on Maelstrom of Fate: Waves of Darkness Book 7, which I plan to release in October. I moved that up from November, because I hope to attend HallowCon this year.

I also did a new pencil sketch of Belladonna. It felt weird drawing real world again. You can’t zoom in on a screen to fine tune details with real pencil and paper like you can on a drawing app. Since the sketch involves full frontal nudity, I will not share it in this post.

I might put it on her character page. I haven’t decided yet.

Captain’s Log: LibertyCon 35

Another LibertyCon has come and gone.

Closing Ceremonies/Let’s Bitch at Brandy

This year’s charity was the Ronald McDonald House. The art/charity auction raised $72k+USD. The final tally from over and above operating costs will be added, announced, and awarded later this year.

While Friday was very busy for me, the rest of the weekend was a bit more relaxing. I got to spend quality time with friends I only see at conventions. I also attended a few panels on the STEM track.

Saturday, on my way to the dealer room for my autograph session, I decided to belt out “Hoist the Colors.” About halfway to my destination, I was joined in song. I enjoyed that.

My duet partner. Thank you again.

Sitting in on the Quantum Brain panel, run by Dr. Robert Hampson and Dr. Travis Taylor was educational. What everyone is calling A.I. is not really A.I. It was fascinating hearing about what’s been discovered about how the human brain actually works.

The two panels I was on were fun. Worldbuilding for Steampunk was moderated by H.P. Holo. Geoffrey Mandragora was supposed to be the moderator but couldn’t make it to the con. my fellow panelist was Charity Ayers. D. Alan Lewis was also supposed to be on the panel but was delayed getting there from Nashville. Arrgh! There be Pirates! was moderated by Charity Ayers. Fellow panelists included Tom Tinney, Nick Steverson, Melissa Olthoff, Robert E. Waters, and Gina Koch. Both panels were well attended and lively.

My shared reading slot Saturday night turned into a solo performance with an audience of one, and he was there for Laura Montgomery, who decided not to stay up that late. The reading was at 10 p.m., when room parties were getting into full swing. I thanked him for sticking around and read Belladonna’s First Drink (I need to update the convention reads on the site to match the 2nd edition versions) and The Adventures of Pigg & Woolfe: Episode 30 Divided Forces Part I.

Sales were low this year. I sold two copies of Blood Curse: Waves of Darkness Book 1. I have Larry Correia to thank for those sales. We shared an autograph session time slot, and people were lined up out into the hall for him. He loudly announced to his fans that he would get to all of them, but that there were four other authors present and in need of attention. I sold one copy of The Adventures of Pigg & Woolfe: Season 2 Turmoil in Tunilia. At least that was a repeat customer. Still, if I make even one sale, I consider it a successful convention.

I bought a LOT of books, as well as picked up a few from the freebies table. Slowly, I am rebuilding my lost Anne McCaffrey collection, as well as adding a few of her titles I never got around to before.

I’m looking forward to next year, provided I get a ticket before they sell out. Tickets go on sale at noon EDT July 15.

Captain’s Log: Con Nooga 14

Always take a picture of your badge. If you lose it, and someone turns it in, you can claim it without having to buy a new one.

Had a great time at Con Nooga this year. I didn’t expect to get table space on Authors’ Alley because of how late my application was. However, our authors are very supportive of each other. They made space for me. I even scored a rotating book rack for cheap to use next con. Only my Waves of Darkness 2nd editions will fit, though. The 1st editions and the Adventures of Pigg & Woolfe omnibi are an inch and a half too tall. I plan to pick up a tiered rack for them.

I did 2 panels on the writers track: Using Folklore and Publishing Horror Stories. We lost over half our audience on the second one. They thought it was about publishing horror fiction. Instead, it was horror stories from our adventures in publishing, both indie and trad.

I will be updating the Smugglers Cove & Hucksters Haven soon. However, it will not include all the new-to-me vendors. I ran out of time in the Dealers Room and didn’t get to collect cards on the last row.

One of the most useful panels I attended as audience was Guerilla Marketing, presented by the author of the Zombie Road series, David A. Simpson. Took LOTS of notes.

I sold 2 copies of Waves of Darkness Book 1: Blood Curse and 1 copy of The Adventures of Pigg & Woolfe Season Two: Turmoil in Tunilia. By the time this con rolls around again, I’ll have 3 more titles to offer.

I even ran into 3 coworkers. I have a feeling next year will be even better.

Finally, I’ve gotten much closer to getting past my stuck point in season 4 of The Adventures of Pigg & Woolfe. I’m almost done with the 6th episode of the season. I really need to get s4 wrapped up so I can get back to work on plotting book 9 for Waves of Darkness. There will most likely be a hiatus between seasons 4 and 5. We’ll see.

Captain’s Log: LibertyCon 34

They’re baaaaaaack!

Brandy Bolgeo Hendron welcomes every back to the first in-person LibertyCon since 2019.

It felt fantastic to be able to attend my favorite convention in person again! Brandy and her staff outdid themselves. Rich Groller made sure the programming was so loaded attendees had to make hard decisions between which panels or workshops they wanted to attend. Vonn and the consuite volunteers kept everyone well fed. Also, a full, all-ages masquerade made a return, under the direction of Debi Chowdhury, after a couple decades ‘ absence.

There were a few panels I wanted to attend which I had to forego. Being one of the masquerade judges, prep took precedence over some publishing panels. I also ended up missing Atlanta Radio Theatre Company and the Mad Scientist Roundtable due to bladder issues. Of course, the latter allowed me to get a full night’s sleep instead of the 4 hour nap I would’ve gotten otherwise.

We only had 12 entrants this year, but we expect it to grow in the coming years. My co-judges were Jonna Hayden and Susan Brady. The whole thing went pretty well, for organized chaos, and was completely drama free. Chris Kennedy emceed the event.

Kevin J. Anderson graciously stepped in as substitute GoH after health issues prevented Taylor Anderson from fulfilling the duty.

Speaking of organized chaos, the convention center triple booked. Not only were we there, we had a multi-day Indian wedding and a bodybuilding event keeping us company over the weekend. Definitely made for a unique convention experience.

On a personal note, due to the fact I make my Waves of Darkness print books available with a wholesaler discount through Ingram, Larry Smith Booksellers is now carrying them. They cater solely to the convention circuit. I signed 3 copies of Demon Bayou and 2 copies of Blood Curse for them. It’s cool seeing my titles on the shelf!

I plan to get with my cover designer to get the title more readable.

I also had my giveaway drawing for promo codes for free audio versions of Blood Curse on Audible. Joe Dog McKeel did the draws. The winner from WordPress entrants was Orvan Taurus by default (ox was ONLY entrant from WP); from FB, we had Julie Frost; from the convention itself, we had Johnny Minion; and from Plurk, we had CeeJay Writer (aka Lori Alsen Holuta). Lori’s is the only code not collected yet.

That wraps this log entry up. I do have another post or two to write, but they’re not convention related.

Captain’s Log: ConNooga 2022

Squee!

Had a great time at ConNooga this year. Lots of great Cosplay, fantastic Authors/Writers track, great shopping, and I sold some books. All in all, it was a successful convention for me. I’m looking forward to next year.

Speaking of next year, Gil Hough is handing over the reins of the Authors/Writers track to Jerry Harwood next year. (Both are in the Author’s Alley pages of the Smugglers Cove & Hucksters Haven portion of this site.)

This site, curated by local authors Keith Robinson and Kenyon T. Henry, is like a cross between Goodreads and Kindle, but allows readers and authors to interact. I plan to upload the Waves of Darkness books to it soon.

I’ll be updating the Smugglers Cove & Hucksters Haven probably this weekend. Encountered several new vendors and authors in the Dealers Room this year. I’ll post my con photos to FB this weekend, also.

Lastly, it was brought to my attention that I hadn’t put all my social links on my About page. This has been rectified.

Captain’s Log: Chattacon 47

“Captain ConSuite”
I made sure to let him know this is the closest thing I’ve seen to a Cosplay of my characters.

First, I apologize for taking a whole week to getting around to writing this post. I hope my job as ship’s scribe is not in peril.

Chattacon 47 was my first live convention since February 2020. It was sparsely attended, but that was expected. Attendance was actually better than I had hoped for. The weather also played a factor, with several con goers and a few vendors bugging out Saturday to avoid the poor driving conditions expected that Sunday.

While I didn’t make any sales that weekend, I still had a great time getting to reconnect with my “family.” I even managed to get some free publicity for my books courtesy of Back of the Cereal Box, a podcast out of Nashville with at least 3K followers! They made a round of the Dealers Room Saturday morning interviewing the vendors.

I was not very good at keeping up with the time, however. Saturday, I was a little late for one of my panels. I missed my Sunday panel entirely, for which I humbly apologize. In my defense, it was slated for the same time the Dealers Room opened, and I was caught up in conversation well into the hour.

I have already secured a table for next year, and am looking forward to attending again.

I also added a few entries to my virtual dealer room here on the site: Smugglers Cove and Hucksters Haven. Go check it out!

Captain’s Log: LibertyCon 33, Gone Virtual

Had a blast at LibertyCon this past weekend. This was the first time I’ve attended a convention virtually. Not as surreal as I thought it would be, and being able to watch panels in the same time slot instead of having to pick one proved to be a definite plus. Still, I missed actually SEEING my con family. Also, looking at vendor and artist pages just isn’t as satisfying as shopping in person.

One big plus, however, was using Discord for discussions, author readings, and interaction with the panelists (even if the panel was pre-recorded, we were asked to be available on the assigned channel for live discussion during our time slots). It also makes writing this post easier, since I can scroll through the discussions to cherry pick interesting moments, rather than rely on memory.

One such conversation happened during the Very Vocal Vampire Voices panel (the only one I was on this year, and was recorded a few weeks prior to the convention).

David Bogen:I thought lawyers were top of the heap. KB Bogen: Just below politicians. David Bogen: A vampire lawyer? Tom Tinney, BikerNerd: They should be the favorite food. Brian412: That is a terrifying thought. Taking someone to court claiming that vampires have a right to their blood or some s**t. Tom Tinney, Biker Nerd: Easily defeated. Schedule the trial for 10 AM in morning and they’re no show. Tamara Lowery: And this is how anthologies are born outside of a bar. David Bogen: Yes! KB Bogen: That’s what the Renfield character is for. David Bogen: Brings new meaning to Night Court … Tom Tinney, Biker Nerd: I miss Markie Post and John Laroquette. Jamie Ibsen: Staring Harry T Stone, the Gargoyle Judge.

Sometimes just a couple of comments, with no apparent context pop up.

EvilPengiun: hmm, how to stimulate the memory of scotch without the actual drinking of scotch. Would that count as non-alcoholic scotch? Robert E. Hampson (Speaker): More importantly, how long can the grad student RIDE the cross between the triceratops-bison?

Yeah, it’s best not to ask.

For those interested, EvilPenguin aka Brent Roeder (whose nickname got changed in a later panel to Dr. EP then just Dreep), and Robert E. Hampson aka Speaker-to-Lab-Animals, are both neuroscientists. Yep, they stick thingies in people’s brains or hack thingies people already volunteered to have stuck in their brains and study them. Dreep even mentions multiple times that there are things he’s not allowed to talk about, which may explain this next exchange in chat.

EvilPenguin: I’m waiting for the science groupies I was promised. Tara Urbanek: EvilPenguin we got you groupies. You didn’t like them! Just because they were UNDEAD groupies. You are so picky. I literally made them in the basement. EvilPenguin: When was this?I don’t remember any groupies. Did I have to ablate my memory again? Tara Urbanek: …yes again.

Are you beginning to see why this is one of my favorite conventions?

And then there was the Moose.

tcavlee: So what does everyone think of one Moose for a battle situation? Jamie Ibsen: One battle, one moose. Marisa Wolf: A moose bit my sister. tcavlee: @Jamie Ibsen exactly. Kevin Ikenberry: Moose bites are quite nasty. Rob Howell: The Minister of Moose has spoken. Major Mayhem: Mind you moose bites are quite nasty. tcavlee: I have seen a Moose tear up a semi who honked at them. Casey Moores: My sister was bit by a moose once. Yvonne A Jacobs: The hell are they doing that close to a moose?! Marisa Wolf: Looking for the holy grail? Rob Howell: So, the MooseSha are allowed, right boss? Marisa Wolf: Whew, I believe it! Yvonne A Jacobs: MooSha. Casey Moores: No really! She was carving her initials on the moose with the sharpened end of an interspace toothbrush given her by Svenge — her brother-in-law — an Oslo dentist and star of many Norwegian movies: “The Hot Hands of an Oslo Dentist”, “”Fillings of Passion”, “The Huge Molars of Horst Nordfink” … mrklevel3: MooSha! tcavlee: LOL it was crossing the road and stopped to take a look at them. The driver blew his horn like you would a cow and pissed it off and lost his truck. Rob Howell: That’s too bovine! Casey Moores: I apologize for the false post. The person responsible has been sacked.

I admit, I’m not really sure what was meant in the MooSha sub-thread there. It didn’t stop me from adding “MooSha MooSha MooSha” to it, though. They soon went on to calling Canadian geese cobra-chickens, which is fairly accurate for any breed of goose.

This last conversation I’ll share just tickled me.

Michael K. Falciani: I remember when the electric typewriter was the big new thing. WJ Roberts: that’s cause you’re old. Michael Hanson: Old but with attitude! Michael K. Falciani: I prefer, “well preserved” thank you very much! Michael J. Allen: Those embalming fluid smoothies really do make a difference.

I did not watch the Mad Scientist Roundtable this year, though if it got recorded (it was live streamed), I plan to go back and watch it. Instead, I watched the Atlanta Radio Theater Company production. I usually end up missing that at live cons because of scheduling.

That pretty much wraps up my report on LibertyCon 33, other than membership for LC 34 has increased to 1000. Memberships purchased back in 2019 for LC 33 will roll over to 34, since 33 was virtual, unlimited, and free to all. The remaining 250 memberships will go on sale on LibertyCon’s Eventeny page (link on LC’s website) at noon Eastern time July 23. They will sell out fast.

Captain’s Log: ConNooga XIII

The ladies of Patronum Delicioso

Who says 13 is unlucky? This was one of the best conventions the folks at ConNooga have put on in the last few years. The Authors track, particularly, has improved this year, and is reviving from the slump it went into after Robbie Hilliard resigned from the directorship of it a few years back. Gil Hough stepped into the position this year and put a lot of work into it. Next year looks to be great, as well.

There was a little confusion Sunday, when all the panels for that track were moved from the Convention Center over to the Chattanoogan Hotel. Todd, the convention chairman, explained that he was trying to get more foot traffic to the hotel, since the convention has use of the space for the whole weekend. Up until this year, mostly adults-only panels were held in the hotel. He plans to put more daytime panels there next year.

As one of my convention friends pointed out, there was a wider range of fandoms present this year, as well. A couple of times in the past, the con was dominated by Anime and Disney cosplay. This year had so much more: the usual Mandalorian Mercs locking people up for charity, the smattering of Marvel and DC characters, the Doctor in at least one incarnation, Potterverse characters (as evidenced by the feature photo on this post), some rarely seen (in Chattanooga, a Star Wars town) Star Trek people, random vampires and pirates, and a few medieval costumes. There were even an alien abduction and a Deadpool/Pikachu.

As you can see, a good time was had by all.

I plan to post in the next few weeks about some of the tips I picked up in the Authors panels. I hope to be on some panels next year.

Captain’s Log: Chattacon 45

Pirates and vampires gaming in the consuite: how perfect is that? (Hey, I saw fangs, so I stand by the statement.)

I think this year’s Chattacon was probably the best one since they left the Chattanooga Choo Choo as a venue. It took place at The Doubletree by Hilton in Chattanooga, TN. The dealer room was a mite smaller than the space we had at the Read House, last year, but larger than the space we had at The Chattanoogan the year before. The hotel seemed very con friendly, and some of the Choo Choo’s former staff are there, as well.

My sales weren’t as good as I’d hoped, but I know that sometimes my target audience is in attendance and sometimes not. Sunday was my best day. I managed to sell all the jigsaw puzzles I brought just to get rid of, one print of Young Queen and Rider and two copies of The Girl Who Fell from the Sky. Still, I have secured a spot in the dealer hall for next year.

I did manage to get some artwork and a little writing done. The artwork is waiting approval from my commissioner, of course.

I enjoyed visiting with my convention family, and even attended a few panels after the dealer room closed each day. I won the silent bid on a nifty little print by Theresa Mather titled Cephalopirates, received a lovely print from my table neighbor, John E. Kaufman, for sharing the use of my card reader, and purchased a copy of the book What Do You Do with a Drunken Sailor? about unexpurgated sea shanties; definitely NOT for children and quite raunchy, to boot. I REGRET NOTHING!

One of the highlights of the con for me was going in the consuite after the bellydancing show (the Merry Bellies did a vampire club theme this year) and arriving just in time for a group sing of Bohemian Rhapsody followed by Paradise by the Dashboard Lights and wound up with dancing to The Time Warp. Have I mentioned, I’m sure I have, that Chattacon is both a great sci/fi/lit convention AND a partycon? You really should come check it out next January. Just follow the link to their site and preregister. It will be held at the Doubletree again.